Infectious Diseases News Alerts

• Alert FDA Warns About 24-Hour Multipatient Endoscope Connectors The FDA recommends against use of endoscope connectors that are labeled for use with multiple patients over the course of 24 hours without reprocessing.
  Medscape Medical News, April 2018
• Alert Shingrix Approved in Europe and Japan for Prevention of Shingles In clinical testing, Shingrix demonstrated over 90% efficacy against herpes zoster in adults aged 50 years or older, with efficacy sustained during the 4-year follow-up period.
  International Approvals, March 2018
• Alert FDA OKs First Tests for Tickborne Parasite in Blood, Plasma The new donor screening tests from Imugen will help reduce risk for transfusion-transmitted babesiosis.
  FDA Approvals, March 2018
• Alert FDA Approves Ibalizumab for Multidrug-Resistant HIV-1 The FDA has approved ibalizumab-uiyk (Trogarzo, Theratechnologies Inc) for the treatment of adults with multidrug-resistant HIV-1.
  FDA Approvals, March 2018
• Alert FDA Approves Sorrento's Patch for After-Shingles Nerve Pain Sorrento Therapeutics Inc is planning to launch later this year its stick-on patch to relieve nerve pain due to shingles, ZTlido, which received the U.S. Food And Drug Administration approval on Wednesday.
  FDA Approvals, February 2018
• Alert EU Panel Backs Antiviral Peramivir for Uncomplicated Flu The neuraminidase inhibitor helps speed alleviation of fever and flu symptoms in adults and children aged 2 years and older who have uncomplicated influenza.
  International Approvals, February 2018
• Alert Drug That Claims to Kill Flu as Soon as 1 Day Okayed in Japan Baloxavir marboxil is a novel cap-dependent endonuclease inhibitor with potent fast-acting antiviral efficacy for the treatment of influenza types A and B.
  International Approvals, February 2018
• Alert Flu Season as Intense as 2009 Pandemic Ten more children have died of influenza, the CDC said in their weekly flu update; infections are still on the rise.
  News Alerts, February 2018
• Alert 2018 Adult ACIP Schedule Highlights New Shingles Vaccine The new recommendations also address the use of an extra dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine during mumps outbreaks.
  Medscape Medical News, February 2018
• Alert Influenza Hospitalizations Highest on Record, CDC Says Overall hospitalizations for influenza-like illness are at their highest since the CDC began collecting such data, and the season has yet to peak, according to new government information.
  News Alerts, February 2018
• Alert FDA Acts to Stem Misuse, Abuse of Antidiarrheal Loperamide The FDA moves to limit the number of loperamide doses per package amid ongoing reports of serious cardiac problems and deaths with misuse and abuse of the antidiarrhea medication.
  News Alerts, January 2018
• Alert Trump Highlights Drug Prices, Opioid Crisis in State of the Union The president also urged Congress to pass a right-to-try law granting the terminally ill access to experimental therapies.
  Medscape Medical News, January 2018
• Alert CHMP Backs Shingles Vaccine Shingrix for Adults 50 and Older The European Medicines Agency's CHMP voted to grant marketing authorization for the Shingrix vaccine to prevent herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
  International Approvals, January 2018
• Alert US Influenza Activity Widespread and Intense, May Be Peaking The US is experiencing a very active flu season and early signs suggest that the season may be severe, federal health officials say, with 'almost a doubling' of hospitalizations in just the past week.
  News Alerts, January 2018
• Alert PRAC Wants HES Infusion Solutions Off the Market in Europe The European Medicines Agency's committee says restrictions on HES infusion solutions introduced in 2013 to protect patients have not been sufficiently effective.
  News Alerts, January 2018
• Alert FDA Expands Indication for Fluarix Quadrivalent Flu Vaccine GlaxoSmithKline's four-strain influenza vaccine Fluarix is now indicated to help prevent influenza in children as young as 6 months.
  FDA Approvals, January 2018
• Alert HIV Drug Raltegravir Approved for Neonates Raltegravir is the only integrase inhibitor approved in the US for treatment of HIV in newborns from birth to 4 weeks of age weighing at least 2 kg.
  FDA Approvals, December 2017
• Alert Heplisav-B Vaccine for Hep B Finally Wins FDA Approval Rejected twice before by the agency, the new vaccine must undergo a large postmarketing study on the risk for acute myocardial infarctions and immune-mediated diseases.
  FDA Approvals, November 2017
• Alert Letermovir (Prevymis) Okayed for Stem Cell Transplant Infection The drug prevents cytomegalovirus infections and disease in adults previously exposed to the common virus who have received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
  FDA Approvals, November 2017
• Alert FDA Approves New CLIA-Waived CBC Test for Faster Results The XW-100 Automated Hematology Analyzer can be used in more healthcare settings by nonmedical personnel, offering faster results for patients and providers.
  FDA Approvals, November 2017